On its front page, the New York Times (12/11, A1, Schwarz, Subscription Publication) reports in a nearly 1,300-word story on the “rapid” rise of cases in which youngsters “age two or younger are prescribed psychiatric medications to address alarmingly violent or withdrawn behavior.”

Figures from the prescription data company IMS Health reveal that nearly “20,000 prescriptions for risperidone (commonly known as Risperdal), quetiapine (Seroquel) and other antipsychotic medications were written in 2014 for children two and younger, a 50 percent jump from 13,000 just one year before.

Many physicians are concerned that these medications, which are “designed for adults and only warily accepted for certain school-age youngsters, are being used to treat children still in cribs despite no published research into their effectiveness and potential health risks for children so young.” Some experts attribute the increased use of psychiatric medications in kids of all ages to the “scarcity of child psychiatrists.”

Related Links:

— “Still in a Crib, Yet Being Given Antipsychotics,” Alan Schwarz, New York Times, December 10, 2015.

MedPage Today (12/10, Clark) reports that the issue of post-operative cognitive decline (POCD) was addressed at a presentation given at the American Society of Anesthesiology’s annual meeting. The condition affects possibly “as many as 15% of patients 60 and older.” Patients with POCD “experience some memory or problem-solving declines within three months of surgery.”

Although some surgeons still remain “skeptical about the syndrome…there is greater recognition among cardiac surgeons, who have dealt for years with the possibility that cardio-pulmonary bypass machines used during heart surgery may be associated with post-op cognitive problems.”

Related Links:

— “Is Surgery a Risk Factor for Cognitive Dysfunction?,” Cheryl Clark , MedPage Today, December 9, 2015.

USA Today (12/10, Szabo) reports that the Treatment Advocacy Center, an organization focusing on the “needs of people with serious mental illness,” is set to release a report today estimating that “people with mental illness are 16 times more likely than others to be killed by police.” The report points out that approximately “one in four fatal police encounters involves someone with mental illness.” This problem is not only “due to a lack of police training,” but also due to the “lack of treatment” for people with serious psychiatric disorders.

Related Links:

— “People with mental illness 16 times more likely to be killed by police,” Liz Szabo, USA Today, December 10, 2015.

Reuters (12/9, Rapaport) reports that approximately 5.8 million US youngsters have received a diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD), according to a study published online Dec. 8 in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

The Washington Post (12/9, Cha) reports in “To Your Health” that the study “shows a surprising 55 percent increase in prevalence of diagnoses among girls – from 4.7 percent to 7.3 percent from 2003 to 2011.” During that same time period, investigators “found an increase in cases across all races and ethnicities but especially in Hispanic children.”

HealthDay (12/9) reports that “in 2011, an estimated 12 percent of US kids aged 5 to 17 had ever been diagnosed with AD/HD,” the study found, an increase of “43 percent from 2003.”

Related Links:

— “Sharp rise in ADHD diagnoses in girls challenges myth that the condition is mostly a boy thing,” Ariana Eunjung Cha, Washington Post, December 9, 2015.

In “To Your Health,” the Washington Post (12/8, Sun) writes that a report by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reveals that “only 23 states increased mental health spending in 2015, compared to 36 states in 2013 and 29 in 2014.” The remaining states “have been ‘treading water’ or going backwards by cutting funding for services, according to the report.”

The AP (12/8, Ronayne) points out that the NAMI report “shows New Hampshire is one of 11 states that has increased mental health funding every year since 2013.” That state’s increased mental health “spending is due in part to a legal settlement New Hampshire signed with the US Department of Justice in 2013 over inadequate community mental health services.” Currently, the New Hampshire “budget includes $23 million for the settlement over the next two years.

Related Links:

— “Three years after Sandy Hook, more states cut mental health funding,” Lena H. Sun, Washington Post, December 8, 2015.